119 Collapsed (1/2)

White mist was everywhere. There was no direction. No up or down, left or right. It was just endless white mist.

She walked on without stopping, neither fast nor slow. Her footsteps were even and regular, almost mechanical in how uniform they were. Her body moved on its own accord, feeling nothing.

Her eyes were blank. So was her mind.

Who was she?

She had no idea.

Where was she going?

She didn't know.

So she walked nonstop because that was the only thing she was capable of. She didn't even notice whether she was still breathing or not.

Was she even alive? What was being alive?

”…aby...”

On she walked.

”...ba...by…”

Hm? She paused. What was that? The silence in this place of mist felt absolute. When she didn't hear anything more, she resumed walking.

”…baby girl...please…wake up…”

Suddenly, her unfeeling body started hurting. Cold permeated her bones, making her shake violently without control.

”…baby…Baby!”

Iris was jolted awake, gasping for breath. It felt like there was something punching hard from inside her chest repeatedly trying to escape. She shook all over, drenched in her own cold sweat.

”Are you awake? Baby, answer me! Please don't scare me like this.”

Jin Liwei held his shaking girlfriend in his arms. She felt ice-cold to the touch. He could even hear the sound of her teeth chattering. Fear and worry gripped his heart as he checked her. When he saw her eyes finally open, he felt relieved.

”Baby, talk to me. Can you tell me what happened?”

She was still feeling foggy, her mental state flitting between dream and reality. She wanted to move but her body felt heavy. It wasn't listening to her. She was shaking so hard, as if her body wanted to squeeze and toss her out of it. There was a feeling of disconnection between herself and the body.

Jin Liwei continued to talk to her even when she was unresponsive. He rubbed her back and arms, trying to warm her cold body up.

Finally, her body gradually calmed down. Jin Liwei's voice soothed her, and it felt like it was her only connection to the real world. It felt like she could fall back into that dream at any moment and never return.

This was the second time that she experienced this. What was going on? She began to feel afraid. What would happen if this became a regular occurrence? Would she still be able to wake up next time?

”Just a dream…it was just a dream…” she mumbled to herself, chanting it over and over, convincing herself that there was no need to feel afraid.

”Yes, baby. It was only a dream. Don't worry. You're okay.”

She finally realized that she was in Jin Liwei's arms. ”Liwei…darling…”